‘Homebound’ Cast & Director Neeraj Ghaywan Talk Martin Scorsese’s Notes, Gujarati Folk Singing & Artistic Vocations — Cannes Studio

'Homebound' stars Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa, and director Neeraj Ghaywan talked about their 'friendship' film and Martin Scorsese's notes.

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Neeraj Ghaywan‘s Homebound follows two childhood friends from a small North Indian village as they take an exam to become a police and chase a job that promises them the dignity they have long been denied. However, as they get closer to their dream, mounting desperation threatens the friendship.

Starring Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa, the film was executive produced by Martin Scorsese.

Ghaywan credits co-producer Mélita Toscan du Plantier for bringing Scorsese onboard. Ghaywan previously directed Masaan, which premiered in Cannes‘ Un Certain Regard program in 2015.

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“The first time that he read the script, he sent me notes over email about how he felt,” Ghaywan said about Scorsese, in an interview at Deadline’s Cannes studio. “He helped me structure the script in various phases. He told me some things about being expository, saying something with a bigger voice or being more subtle about things, or about certain characters and arcs.

“He also helped me with the edit,” added Ghaywan. “He watched the cut and he sent notes via email. There was one time I got on a Zoom with him and it was incredible. He just has this childlike energy and you’re sitting across from him, even though it’s via a computer, and it’s surreal. Words can’t describe how much it means to me for somebody of that stature, giving it so much care and attention.”

For stars Khatter, Jethwa and Kapoor, they said that working with Ghaywan was something they had their eyes on for some time.

“I was called in to see the chemistry between me and Ishaan, how we look together onscreen,” said Jethwa, on how he became part of Homebound. “We read a few scenes. I was clear in my mind that I wanted to do this film.”

Khatter called Ghaywan’s Masaan a “beautiful film,” so when he received a call from producer Karan Johar to become part of Homebound, he knew that he had to take a look.

“For all of us, this was a very transformative experience,” said Khatter. “All of these roles required us to shed vanity, and also lose a little bit of ourselves.

“I was incredibly moved by the script,” said Kapoor. “He’s one of the greatest directors in our country… I messaged him after shooting this film that I don’t mind if I need to play a tree in the background of his next film, I just need to be in it.”

With the film following two friends on the cusp of finding their vocation, Ghaywan and the cast revealed alternative careers they would have pursued if they were not a filmmaker or actor.

Kapoor said that she would have wanted to be a writer, while Khatter shared that he would have still sought out some kind of artistic path.

“It would have to be an artistic profession,” said Khatter. “I don’t think I have much imagination beyond the arts because it kind of encompasses everything — the life of an actor. You hold interest in all lines of work, because they are all potential characters for you to play. If it weren’t acting and dancing, which are my primary passions, I would want to write or do something in music, or even photography.”

For Jethwa, he would have pursued Gujarati folk singing.

“This is what my soul loves and I cannot imagine my life without Gujarati folk,” says Jethwa. “I can listen to that music morning, afternoon, evening and night. Even now, I sometimes feel like leaving the industry and becoming a Gujarati folk singer because that’s where I belong, that satisfies my soul a lot.”

Asking for a beat from his fellow actors and Ghaywan, Jethwa proceeded to give a rousing rendition of a Gujarati song in the Deadline studio, which was met with enthusiasm and rapturous cheers.

“It sounds very weird, but more than acting, I enjoy Gujarati folk singing,” said Ghaywan. “Maybe I’m just a bathroom singer but I love that a lot.”

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